Lisa Orii

Lisa Orii

Ph.D. Candidate at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington

Hello!👋

I'm Lisa Orii, a Ph.D. candidate at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. I am advised by Dr. Richard Anderson in the ICTD Lab. I have interned at OMRON SINIC X Corporation and PATH.

I am seeking full-time employment opportunities this year (2025–2026). Please feel free to contact me with any relevant opportunities, or if you want to learn more about my skills and experiences!

In 2022, I was selected to MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Japan. I am a Japanese Fellow for the inaugural cohort of the Quad Fellowship and received a 2-year fellowship from The Funai Foundation for Information Technology.

Research

I research digital health in resource-constrained settings, leveraging human-centered design principles to guide end-to-end development of technologies in real-world contexts. I apply qualitative and quantitative methods and participatory approaches to uncover user needs. I partner with designers, engineerns, and domain experts to translate user insights into actionable design recommendations for digital health integration into health systems.

My work has spanned multiple health domains, including sexual and reproductive health, mental health, maternal and newborn care, and HIV/AIDS.

Below are recent projects.

Chatbot
Chatbots for Sensitive Medical Contexts in Kenya

Dec 2024 – Present

Speculative co-design to inform design guidelines for chatbot-supported contraceptive care for young women in Kenyan pharmacies.

GeekWire article (Oct 2025)
MaraDIVAS logo
Contraceptive Decision-Support App in Kenya

Sep 2023 – May 2025

Iterative design and development of a contraceptive decision-support app for young women in Kenyan pharamcies, based on lessons from co-design.

Paper in ACM CHI 2025
Malawi tablet
Secure Data Systems for HIV Care in Malawi

May 2022 – Nov 2024

Qualitative investigation of diverse stakeholders' views towards digital data colletion and management at Malawi's HIV care program.

Education

University of Washington Sep 2021 - Jun 2026 (Expected)

Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering – Specialization: Human-Computer Interaction
Graduate Certificate in Global Health of Women, Adolescents, and Children

Wellesley College Sep 2017 - Jun 2021

B.A. in Computer Science and Philosophy

Celebratory News ✨

  • Oct 2025: GeekWire wrote an article featuring our work on designing chatbots for sensitive medical contexts!
  • Sep 2025: Completed my research internship at OMRON SINIC X Corporation in Japan!
  • Apr 2025: Presented our paper at CHI 2025 in Yokohama, Japan! Also helped out as student volunteer!
  • Jan 2025: Papers accepted to CHI 2025 and PLOS ONE!
  • Dec 2024: Became a Ph.D. CANDIDATE!
more news!